Article display case



May 5, 1953 N. A. slMos ARTICLE DISPLAY CASE Filed April 27, 1951 INVENIOR. N/c/(olas A. 6/0706 BY W my ATTORNE Y5 Patented May 5, 1953 UNITED" STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 2,637,614 ARTICLE DISPLAY CASE Nickolas A. Simos, Toledo, Ohio Application April 2-2, 1951', Serial' No. 223,284 3 Claims. (01.312-2725) This-invention relates to a ease or cabinet of the article displaytype having a hinged cover and in'-whichan article supporting bottom or tray is"movably 'mountedendisconnected to and raised -and lowered bycorrespondin movementsof the'cover.

The "object of theinvention is' the provision of an 'impr'oved case of box or'cabihet formhaving an article supporting" trayguided for raising-and lowering movements therein at right angle to the tray surface, together "with novel and simple means'for supporting the tray-in the case and which is operable to impart predeter mined raising and lowering movements thereto from opening and closing movements of the cover, whereby to enhance the practicability and commercial value of cases of this character.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will beapparent from the following detailed descriptionpandfrom the accompanying drawings illustratingone form oftheinvention, and in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a case embodying the present invention with the cover closed and the article supporting tray in lowered position and with parts broken away; Fig. 2 is a reduced section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a similar section with the cover and connected tray parts raised and the cover partly broken away.

Referring to the drawings, I designates an article holding or packing case of box or cabinet form and composed of the base or body part 2 to the upper rear edge of which is hinged a cover 3 for raising and lowering movements.

The case, in the present instance, is rectangular in horizontal section and is provided with a tray or false bottom member 4 loosely fitting the interior of the case to permit it to have raising and lowerin movements therein. The tray is provided, in the present instance, at each end with two guide fingers 5 projecting upwardly therefrom in a plane normal thereto and engaging in respective guide grooves 6 for free sliding movements therein normal to the top edge of the case, thus preventing any substantial tilting of the tray relative to the case when being raised or lowered. The fingers 5 have their tray attaching end portions bent at right angles and attached to the tray lengthwise thereof, as best shown in Fig. 1.

Each end of the tray rests on a respective bracket 8 of fiat shelf-like form with the bracket elongated crosswise of the tray end but shorter than the tray. Each bracket is supported by a respective link 9 that is pivotally connected at its lower end, substantially centrally of the bracket ends, to an upstanding outer edge flange Ill thereon. The-tray rests loosely on these brackets to permit the'bracketsto have sliding movements crosswise thereof. Each link9 extends upward and rearward from its'point of connection with its bracket and is pivoted at its upper 'end to the respective cover end near its rear edge, as at 'l I. Eachlink slopes downwardly and forwardly and has a longitudinally extend ing guiding edge surface lz resting on a guide pin it projecting from the respective end of the body 2 near itsupper edge. 'Thesurface 12 may constitute-the lower rear'edge' of the linker the upper wall of a longitudinally ex tending slot inthe link;

An important feature of-the invention is the provision in thesurface l2 of each'link of I an upwardly and rearwardly extending cam surface I4 with which theassociated pin 13 engagesduring the last portion of the'closing and thefirst portion of the Opening movements of the cover '3; This surface may be formed by notching or slotting the upper or forward wall of the guide surface [2.

During the initial raising movements of the cover the cam surfaces M of the links coact with the pins It to cause a raising of the brackets 8 for a short distance in a plane substantially normal to the case bottom, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and a corresponding movement to the tray 4. As the cover continues to raise, the pins [3 continue in engagement with the lower straight end portions I2 of the links and the brackets 8 are caused to raise further and at the same time to slide rearwardly under the respective tray ends, as indicated by full lines in Fig. 3. The tray is thus raised in substantially a level position. If there is a tendency for the tray to tilt on the link pivots, it will be righted by reason of its rear edge striking a stop pin It on the rear wall of the case body near its upper edge. This particular guided action of the tray movements causes the tray to have smooth raising movements, inasmuch as the pull on the brackets by the links 9 is parallel to the guide groove 6 during a predetermined initial portion of 2. raisin movement of the tray. Any articles mounted on the tray are raised and lowered therewith.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what 3 I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is:

1. In a box-like case having a body, a cover hinged thereto, and a tray guided for raising and lowering movements in the case body, the provision of a tray supporting bracket engaging freely under each tray end for free sliding movements crosswise thereof, a link pivoted to each cover end near its hinge edges and extending downwardly and forwardly therefrom with its lower end pivotally attached to the bracket at the respective end of the tray, each link having a longitudinally extending guide slot with a cam surface extending upward and rearward therefrom, and a pin projecting inward from each case end and engaging in the adjacent link slot to cooperate with its walls to cause raising and lowering movements of the brackets when the cover is raised and lowered, respectively, said pins coacting with said cam surfaces to cause predetermined portions of said bracket movements to be in a direction substantially normal to the plane of the tray.

2. In a box-like case having an open-top body substantially rectangular in horizontal section, a cover therefor hinged to its upper rear edge, and a tray mounted for free vertical movements in the body, the provision of means connecting the tray ends and the body to cause the tray movements to be substantially normal to the tray surface, a bracket engaging under each tray end for sliding movements crosswise thereof, a link within the case at each end and pivoted at its upper end to the cover and extending downwardly and forwardly therefrom and being pivotally connected to the respective bracket at its outer edge whereby raising and lowering movements of the cover will impart raising and lowering movements to said brackets, each link having a longitudinal slot with a cam portion in its upper wall, a guide pin fixedly projecting from each case end adjacent to its top edge and having guiding coaction with the slot of the respective link, said pins coacting with the cam portions of the respective slots to cause said brackets to be raised in a direction substantially normal to the plane of the tray during a predetermined initial raising movement of the cover, said pins and link slots during a continued upward movement of the cover' cooperating to cause the brackets to be moved both rearwardly and upwardly a predetermined extent.

3. In a box-like case having a body, a cover hinged thereto, and a tray guided for raising and lowering movements in the case body, the provision of a bracket in supporting engagement with each tray end for free sliding movements crosswise thereof, a link pivoted to each cover end near its hinged edge and extending downwardly and forwardly therefrom within the body and pivoted at its lower end to the outer side edge of the bracket at the respective end of the tray, each link having a downwardly and rearwardly facing edge forming a guide surface with a cam portion therein, a pin projecting inward from each case end and having supporting engagement with said adjacent link edge to cooperate therewith to cause predetermined raising and lowering movements to the brackets when the cover is raised and lowered, and to cause predetermined portions of said movements to be in a direction substantially normal to the plane of the tray.

NICKOLAS A. SIMOS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,098,570 Grosjean June 2, 1914 1,417,814 Fairweather May 30, 1922 2,391,435 Goldbert Dec. 25, 1945 

